To
you top g cats who created this website - here are a couple of pics that I
thought that I would send you - the first one entitled Afternoon after garage
is taken in Central Park wher as many will recollect the music, dancing and
fun often continued on skates.æ The second is of a few mates taking in a few
rays on the roof terrace dring the course of a garage party.æ I do have one
of Gwen being carried onto the stage to perform on a gold sofa but I have
to dig that out.æ Also I noticed in your readers comments that someone has
queried the last song to be played - I can confirm that it was Where Do We
Go From Here but I would have to dispute that it was played any later than
8.30pm on the Sunday evening.æ

Editor's
Note: I have to disagree. I was there until 11 PM Sunday evening and left
while things were still going on. I heard from those that stayed that things
went 'til about 2 AM Monday morning.

The scene was something
akin to a battlefield as not many of us were able to stand let alone dance
anymore and there were many tears as though loved ones had been lost - it
was sad and sombre and whatever had been used to fuel the party there was
a considerable sober atmosphere prevailing.æ My greatest regret having moved
back to London in 1990 was having my wallet stolen which had my prized Saturday
night gold membership card for the garage in it but the memories live on and
this website has brought a tear to my eye.æ I was in the DJ booth at Ministry
the night or should I say nights when Larry came to play - he missed his plane
the first night but was worth waiting for as usual - I was also present at
Ministry when news of his passing away came and there was a tribut to him.æ
I could go on and on and might take up another opportunity to write.

I've just found this
sight, it's fabulous. I guess I have my own memories of the Garage.

What an inspirational
place that was, and Larry regardless of some of the more negative things that
have been said about him was truly a DJ God. As someone who did't even live
in the States, I visited the Garage with my cousins in the summers of 1995/6.
It certainly changed my perception of night clubs. The Garage experience was
one that I will never ,ever forget.

I remember walking up
that ramp for the first time and thinking wow! Funnily enough the record that
was playing was one that I rememberd hearing my sisters play when I was a
kid. That was Love is the Message. It was not long before that record took
on a new significance. Love is the Message - what a record! I now have countless
versions of that seminal track, and spend a lot of time collecting a lot of
the other classics that Larry played at the Garage (some would say obsessively
so). Most of my friends still can't believe that Larry would play things like
Walking on Thin Ice. All I usually say is that "You just had to be there."

The Garage just made
such sense of the way that I felt about music to dance to. And it was most
certainly the first place that I had been to that had an ice cold chill out
room and a cinema (remember I'm from England). There is so much that I would
love to say about the 2 years that I spent at the Garage, but don't even know
how. I regret deeply that I was not at the closing night.

Two years ago I went
to the Haring exhibition at the Whitney. In the room which was dedicated to
the Garage, I had the pleasure of recounting my own experiences of the place
to the folks on the guided tour who did'nt really understand how a nightclub
could have such a profound effect upon the artist. I guess it kind of felt
weird me being an English man holidaying (again) in NY and telling a group
of people about a place that existed in thier own country. However I WAS THERE!

Anyway, anyway. It has
been great reading other peoples recollections, and would like to talk to
others who would obviously have spent more time at the Garage than myself.
Also if anybody has any memorabilia I could have access to, especially any
tapes and stuff.

If Sharon Simpson and
Hugh who left England again round about 1993/4 are still around and happen
to read this page (AS Garage devotees I can't believe they won't get to this
page) Please Please get in touch. I miss you both and don't really know what
happened to you. L.I.T.M Josef Respect to those no longer around (many) especially
Larry and Gwen. [And Tee Scott, and Noel and Lynne and Richard Long and...
)

The first time I was
taken to the PG in 1979, was a night after been at a club in Tribecca. Noel
(RIP) was at the door and asked me for the membership wrench or a passport.
The guy I was with had membership, and was able to get me in. I gagged from
the ramp to the movie room (Night of the Living Dead) was showing.

I had found my home.
Shortly after that I met a girl who shall remain nameless from the group "Loose
Joints" Is It All Over My Face(West End Records-you know Judy Weinstien &
them) We became roomates and did lots of clubs in the city. Some of the people
I met and befriended @ PG were, Mike Brody(RIP) of course, Noel, Kenny from
the juice bar, Joey Llanos, Paulie, Henry, Peewee, Sophie & Denise, Billy
the dancer, Calvin the dancer and many many more.

I remember Irene Carr
walking out that morning with her full length white mink coat on and I really
fell in love with her then, she had just did Fame. One morning we arrived
in a Silver Rolls Royce from Mike Stone at Studio 54 were we had just did
a show, and was let right in the front door of the PG...that was a real fierce
feeling. Yes, it took no time for me to be hooked with Paradise Fever...I
had the fever, and went each and every Saturday and never needed a membership
card. I also remember going to Carmine Street pool sometimes after the club...big
fun..We would go to Washington Square Park and just lay around for the rest
of the day...

Sorry I can't get into
any of the performances I'm just to tearing eyed to go on. My heart aches
from missing it so much!

I first started hanging
out in N.Y. with some friends from F.I.T.(Fashion Institute of Technology
- aka ... (smile))

They introduced me to
the This And That Gallery. I used to love dancing to u+me and forever came
today by the Jackson Five. We used to spin the mirror ball ourselves until
it fell one day. I remember Nicky getting dressed up like Diana Ross to sing
Love Hangover when it first came out . He was so wild , he would put whatever
pill in your mouth like communion. The first night Loleata Holloway performed
she walked right in onto the stage and started singing to Love in C Minor
by Cerrone. She had come to sing her first hit Dreaming. After the Gallery
came Reade St.

I do remember it being
so hot that Larry would take his shirt off, a style I would later copy when
I would become a DJ. The first night I came to the Garage I was blown away
. I had been to some great parties at Nat Reeds, The Loft, and Le Jardin,
but nothin could have prepared me for this.

The whole place shook
with Foot Stompin Music by Bohannon.I was instantly hooked , became a member
and a devotee I cannot say which was the best night at the Garage. Each night
was so special in itself, never a repeat of another night. I do feel special
that I was able to witness the Loleatta/Dan Hartman show which Larry used
to play the tape , crowd and all many times. The Grace Jones show of 85 was
very special also.

As I said I did become
a pretty good dj. I patterned my style after Nicky, Larry, and Tee Scott whom
I admired for being so nice to me when I used to come up from Baltimore. He
always gave me something to smoke and never even asked my name.When the Garage
closed, I thought it was the end of my world as I saw it. I quit DJing and
sold all 20,000 records!!

Like I said I thought
it was all over. I have so many memories associated with the Garage that it
is almost painfull to talk about it. I can always remember the first time
I heard any record at the Garage and who I was dancing with at the time. I
have lost a lot of those people to AIDS but I keep dancing for them. At 44
years old I still represent on the dance floor if the music is good. I still
keep my garage membership cards as validation that at one time I was part
of some thing very special.

Whenever I am in NY I
still pay homage to 84 king st.. Hopefully there will be a worthwhile re-union
before we are all gone. Please do not hessitate to contact me on any related
matter.

I love this website!
It is a true inspiration to keep dance, love and harmony alive through the
ultimate classics! I was very young during the Garage and Warehouse days,
so I could not experience the full effect - but you can believe that my heart,
soul and ear were glued to the radio every weekend listening to the house
music (what is now considered classics).

Now, I can go to the
Shelter in NY - it could never compare, but it still has the same theme -
love, ispiration and keeping dance alive through great music!!Thanks so much
for this website! By the way, I travel to Chicago and Detriot a lot trying
to find the great house classics on CD. I have been fortunate, however I am
still looking to build my collection. Any recommendations?Peace, love, and
keep dance alive!Warren Dutton

A long time Garage member
who happened to find this site is who I am. I experienced the Garage around
78/79 after first being madly in love with the clubs the Inferno on 18th st
& 5th and Melons.

It is hard to convey
to a non-participant the feeling, the joy and the heartache of this memorable
part of club history that bar none was the most slammin' club and DJ ever.¾
I have so many fond memories of that club that it probably can fill a book
just like so many other members who are still alive and around to talk about
it.¾

It's a shame that the
vibe, the musically journey that Larry Levan created so effortlessly is lost
to us forever on this side of the pond.¾ If you go to the U.K. you will find
so many clubs that strive to capture that "Garage" athomsphere, soulful lyrics,
kickin' soundsystems and humongous dancefloors! And people of all colors and
nationalities just feelin' it!¾

I remember just a year
or so after the garage closed that the "Paradise Ballroom" opened up at midtown
between broadway and 8th.¾ Dave morales and Frankie Knuckles were spinning
however the crowds did not come and the place was closed shortly after by
complaints.¾

Since then besides "The
Loft" which still exists today (albiet a different vibe) there is not a club
I have been to in NYC that captures the feeling.¾¾ If any of you now of such
a place the "HELP A BROTHER OUT"!!!!!! Peace!¾¾ Life is a Dance! Let yourself
Gooooooooo! ¾ Joe¾

editor: Again, the clubs currently spinning
to the old Garage heads: Body & Soul, The Shelter (Both at Club Vinyl
in lower manhattan), and The Warehouse, in the Boogie Down Bx.

from Steve Shelto; Email:
marie.shelto.b@bayer.com

Back
in 1983, I did a gig at the Garage at 4:30 a.m. - my hit at the time was "Don't
You Give Your Love Away" - while waiting to go on, availing myself of the
hospitality suite, I met my brother, Gary, who was a regular at the
club and a good friend to a number of people there. We had a great time and
I remember him looking so vital and energetic - perhaps the last time I saw
him this way before he finally succembed to aids in 1986.

After my gig, I went
directly to LaGuardia Airport to catch a 7:30 a.m. flight to Texas where I
was due to perform at a society party with the Lester Lanin Orchestra. I was
so tired that I fell asleep on the bandstand. The Paradise Garage will always
bring back a number of good memories.

Wow! I feel almost drained
after reading the paradise garage memories page. I actually stumbled on your
page while looking for information on Tony Humpries and dj oji. Both play
in the style of Larry Levan - but I've only come to realise this after reading
your pages. I'm actually from Jamaica, and only got exposed to house when
I was around 18. By that time the paradise garage had closed but when I got
more involved in the music scene, I began to hear stories about it... I started
getting tapes from friends in NY from Tony Humphries and I began dj-ing myself...

Anyway cut to 1999 and
I'm still a huge fan of house music, particularly 'garage'. I used to wonder
why my love for the music endures and I still go out and dance for hours while
my peers are more interested in relaxing, but now I realise I'm not alone!!!!
Your web site confirmed what I always felt inside - that people who love house
and garage as much as I do, share the same opinions about the powerful effects
of house music, and how it transcends all social barriers. Plus, no matter
how old we get, we still love the music!! I live in the Baltimore/ Washington
area and there are a few places to go (for which I'm glad) but there are pitifully
few DJs like who play in the style of Larry Levan.

Last year I spent some
time in Europe, mostly in London and it was pure heaven for me at the clubs,
where most dj's do play garage, and everyone came for the music and the dancing
and good vibes!! I've been looking for that experience here in the states
- since reading about Shelter, on your web page I've decided to make it there
on my next trip to NYC!

One of the things I remember
about the Garage and Larry's mixes was the dancing. Remember break dancing
was going on in late 70's / early eighties. A friend of mine took me as a
guest. I'm 36 from Rhode Island and can remember the hardwood floors and the
babypowder and the front dives and back flips and rolls. That language some
of the people talked (help me).

The couples dancing on
center stage, ballet and dance intertwined together. Baggie pants and coutout
shirts with chinese flip flops. I remember the thunder you would hear going
up the ramp. Larry's own master mixes, it seemed like he was talking to you
about falling in love and breaking up and doing your own thing. You had an
appreciation for the words of the song, not like now its all electric. Reading
the memories from others makes me wish to go back in time.They should have
a reunion with all us folk who were at the Garage.

I'm 42 and was at the
Garage during its heyday. Oh what a night! The spirit and energy never to
be duplicated again. It's a time and a moment of my life when all things were
innocent and fun. Many of my friends were living at that time and now they
are gone. Thank you for taking me on a journey of my pass. It still lives.
Thanks, peace and blessings.

PS: The only club I've
been to that emulate the Garage flavor is Body and Soul. Please let me know,
are there other clubs similar out there?

Editor's Note: Actually, if you took
Body and Soul (which had an INCREDIBLE party in Central
Park) and The Shelter, and
mixed both crowds, you might have a sense of the Garage flavor... but
like you said, never to be duplicated. Impossible. The Garage had so
many elements that made it a once in a millennium experience.

First of all...your website
is great. I'm always fascinated to hear of someone who actually went to The
Paradise Garage! You must have had the most amazing experiences.

I used to live in London
and grew up going to raves and clubs there. I got into garage and house really
heavily around 87/88 and have loved it ever since. A lot of clubs we used
to go to (like Danny Ramplings Glam) tried to get the same atmosphere as we
had all heard The Garage had, they were all great and I'll never forget the
times we had there but I'm still so obsessed with The Garage.

It is such a shame that
I was not born sooner, I feel like I have missed out on so much. Now I just
collect all the old Garage classics and try to imagine what it was like! I
actually came to New York a couple of years ago and saw the building where
it was... I nearly bawled my eyes out! No one could understand what my problem
was!

I
also went to The Keith Haring exhibit when it came to Toronto and there was
a video clip of The Garage, that was the first time I had actually seen live
footage of the inside I remember standing there totally mesmerized! I don't
even remember any of the exhibit! I went to a party in memory of Larry Levan
in London when he died and the last two records played were Larry Levan's
remix of DJ H and Stephy "Hey Boy" (my
favorite remix) followed by Chaka Khan "Clouds". I think I even shed a tear!
Unforgettable.

I was 20 year old when
I first arrive in New York, coming from Venice ITALY, I decided to take a
long vacation, 3 o 4 weeks the most.

After 3 weeks in NYC,
I realized the the city was really one of the most beautiful places in the
world, but I still didn't have any friends to hang out with.

One day I met Carlos
Cruz, who later became my best friend, and he ask me to go to a club called
PARADISE GARAGE. The next Saturday, I went. I've always loved music, dancing.

So when I saw the entrance
of the club, I startet to get exited, but when I got in, my heart start speeding
very fast. Miss Stephany Mills was singing "the medicine song", I think I
arrived in the middle of the floor, and I stopped there without moving for
about one hour. I

kept looking around,
the music, Larry was giving the best of himself, but the people, all that
beautiful real people...... right now I feel like I want to cry.

Believe or not I stayed
in NYC for 8 long years, and I was at the club every Saturday night till the
last Saturday when all my good friends and I cried all night long the closing
for good of the Garage.

I will bring in my heart
so many unforgettable moments and so many very good friends, many are not
with us anymore, but the love lives in me forever. It was 1984. I came back
to Italy in 1992. Now I go to NYC two or three time every year, just to see
my good old friends, my second family, sometime I go to places to dance, and
sometimes it happen that I see old garage goers, like the last time at Monster.
I met this guy, I don't know his name, but we looked at each other eyes, at
each other way of dancing and we knew..............I'm now 35 years old and
my favorite music is still HOUSEMUSIC.

Ahh, what a joy to find
this site and so many of my friends from long a go.

I owe so very much to
my brother for it was he that turned me onto, into and out by introducing
me to realness of "House" music. I had heard many tales of the infamous place
called "PARADISE" and I longed to go there.

It was at the age of
15 with a fierce fake I.D and a friend with a membership that I found my way
HOME. That initial experience was one that has stayed with me throughout my
life. After reaching legal age and hooking up with my boys Tony, Edwin and
Alvin I became fully immersed in the philosophy of House music. The belief
that there is no need or right to judge others and that it is possible to
find a common ground in a world so full of differences. I began to furiously
look forward to each Friday knowing that it was going to be the beginning
of a wonderful escape into a world where ethnicity, gender, sexual preference
and culture were not the main focus. I was going to a place called Paradise...and
that it was.

I remember and I can
still hear Larry pumping Eddie Grant's Time Warp sending us into a trance
like state. Oh and who could forget the Peech Boys---telling us all to know
that LIFE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL, YOU ARE SOMETHING SPECIAL. The incredible
peacefulness that seemed to enter every pore of your body and the bass...ahh
the bass. I mustn't forget the teachers the true Queens (only in NY are they
that fierce...much love to LaMare who tuned me into the Gospel) that gave
me the skills that I treasure t o this very day. The skill of not just dancing
to the music but letting the m music create the dance within your soul.

The dance that frees
your spirit, the dance that comes from the energy of the beautiful people.
We all have our memories of incredible once in a lifetime mixes that came
out of the Garage--d o you remember Larry Levan on what must have been four
turntables mixing up Gwen Guthries Seventh Heaven? It went on forever flowing
like water. Or the true Father of House music Fela Kuti---I had never heard
anything that filled m e like HIS music mixed by Larry Levan. Or Grace Jones
Live...with all of the m en that looked just like her...that was deep. From
midnight Friday until I ventured out into the bright and sunny sleeping streets
of the Village on Sunday morning (time to head back to Jersey) with the members
of my weekend family. Lounging in Washington Square Park, completely juiced
from the incredible mixes that The masters (Larry Levan, Shep Pettibone, Tony
Humphries & Frankie Knuckles) much respect to anyone that I have forgotten
from my day.

I fly back East as often
as I can to get the feeling that is only in NY. The legacy that was left behind.
I now find refuge and peace at Body & SOUL ...the only Tea Dance that
I have been to that captures the feelings of an era long gone. A spirit that
was truly alive at the Garage ---> I think that electric is the word that
best describes it. I DANCE Today I dance...I dance with the spirits of friends
and an era long gone. Today I dance...I dance in my heart and mind longing
for simpler times.

Today I dance...I dance
to remember life as it should be. I dance fo r you...I dance body & soul.
~Leslie

While walking in Aids
walk SF '98 I met someone from NY that many, many years ago I danced with
at the GARAGE although we had never met. It was a time of great joy and sadness.
Joy to have met someone after all these years that knew the realness and when
we embraced there was a knowing. Sadness that we walked for so many of our
brothers and sister s that are no longer here physically...but we feel you
near. We feel you when we dance. Thank you. I want to send out much love to
the originator r of this sight and to my dear friend for sending me here.
Although some memo ries brought me to tears, it is nice to find so many people
that for years were my family.

Love to all of you. I
now am the mother of three beautiful daughters and nearing the age of 37 (that
is 22+ years with the Gospel of House). I now reside in Northe rn California
where every Sunday I travel 63 miles roundtrip every Sunday to d ance. Instead
of at the Garage it is at the infamous EndUp. Where a group of very spiritual
technicians of dance lay down some intense beats. David Harnes s, Pete Avila,
Ruben Mancias and sometimes Patrick Wilson (he has a very old spirit in his
choice of music, very deep) pump a Tea Dance that goes from 5am til 2am.